Ladders are used to allow individuals to reach different heights for various reasons. In manufacturing environments, ladders are typically used so that individuals may work on components that are at elevated heights. For example, ladders may be used so that individuals may work on various portions of a wing of an aircraft that are otherwise unreachable without a ladder.
Once on a ladder, a range of motion of motion of an individual is generally limited. For example, the ladder needs to be moved to different locations of a particular component in order for an individual to gain access thereto. Further, support rungs or surfaces on ladders are relatively small, and often do not allow an individual to freely and safely maneuver with respect to different orientations and positions.
Also, many ladders are relatively unstable. If an individual leans to a side, back, or forward, many ladders may be susceptible to tipping over, which may cause injuries to an individual on the ladder.
Further, ladder rungs or other such support surfaces are fixed in position. Typically, adjacent ladder rungs are separated by a distance of approximately 12 inches. As such, an individual may step up or down on the ladder in such fixed increments. However, by stepping up to a higher rung, the individual may be positioned over a desired position. Further, by remaining on a lower rung, the individual may not be tall enough to safely reach the desired position.